A Night In Sanctuary
by Auxesia
Summary: A somewhat-sequel to "An Afternoon Alone." Newly-appointed Fire Lord Zuko finally gets a night off to rest. Sleep will heal his body, but there's someone he's been missing, and sleep is the last thing on his mind. *Lemon* **WARNING: mature content**


**A/N:** [insert repeat: A/N from "An Afternoon Alone"] This one-shot is, in a way, a follow-up of "An Afternoon Alone," in the sense that I saw the two as in the same continuing storyline when I wrote them.

However, I never would have created this at all, or at least not in such a complete, coherent way as a "story," without the positive feedback from "An Afternoon Alone." For that, I thank those readers who took the time to leave me reviews with their thoughts and opinions -

If you read my A/N from "An Afternoon Alone," you'll understand why it means quite a lot to me that there are other Zuko/Mai fans who are interested in the more mature aspects of their relationship. I write fanfiction to express my own random splurges of creativity, but I am encouraged to publish those writings only because of people like you.

That being said, this is still just a writing exercise, just like the last one-shot. I consider the writing here to be imperfect and incomplete, but it serves well enough the purpose of expressing whims of my imagination. I have not had the inspiration or enthusiasm required to sit down and write a full-blown story with complete, developed characters and plots for years now, and that's not likely to change anytime soon. Still, I hope you enjoy these little dabbles; please let me know if you find any errors in the writing.

Depending on the feedback from this story, I may write a third installment in my little one-shot Maiko series, but I have nothing definitive planned as of now.

Happy reading.

* * *

_For my love, without whom my imagination would be vast, but empty; a heaven without stars. _

* * *

**A Night In Sanctuary  
**

**

* * *

**

His coronation had been a difficult one, and Zuko was exhausted.

He was happy, of course. He was nothing but exhilarated at the defeat of his father and sister, nothing but determined to restore the glory of the Fire Nation in his new capacity as Fire Lord. And above all else, he was proud – for Aang, and his new friends, and all that they had accomplished.

But despite the best intentions of his mind, his body needed rest. Recent wounds, bruises and cuts from the battles he had faced beside the avatar, throbbed with a dull ache. Layered over those, pulsing with a hurt all their own, were the fresh burns from his duel with Azula.

After days of speeches, public appearances, celebrations and obligatory introductions, most of which he had been rushed through with barely a few hurriedly-applied bandages and some royal robes, Zuko was finally allowed a night to do nothing but sleep. His nation had officially accepted his succession to the throne, and he was now permitted inside the highest levels of the palace, reserved solely for the Fire Lord's private sanctuary and its surrounding hallways.

He pushed open the doors to his new chambers with a flood of relief. He was alone. Finally, blissfully alone.

Even in his weariness, Zuko paused just inside the doorway, awe coming over him as he took in his new rooms. No one was permitted inside the Fire Lord's sanctuary; even he had never seen these chambers. He had always imagined them to be a dark and sinister lair. In contrast, the beauty of the place was breathtaking.

Richly embroidered red-and-gold carpets swept across the floor, spanning a space vast enough to easily accommodate a small dining hall. The history of the Fire Nation was depicted with stunning detail and clarity, complete with portrayals of great heroes and legendary battles frozen in time. Massive curtains made of some dark, glossy material fell from the towering ceiling to the floor, smooth as water and crimson as blood. The walls were uninterrupted except for bits of furniture, which were carved in dark wood and inlaid with patterns and designs tinged with red and gold. A desk in one corner was complete with sets of quills and parchment. Other parts of the walls were covered with large folding screens, presumably leading into still other rooms that he could not see.

In the middle of the room was a bed carved from dark oak in the style of the Fire Nation, except that it was easily four or five times the size of any bed Zuko had ever seen. In place of the usual stern jade-and-cloth pillows, cushions of every size, shape and softness – all in varying shades of red – were piled at the head of the mattress. The decadent layers of silk sheets that covered the bed, cascading over the sides to spill like a waterfall around its legs, were a sharp contrast to the mystical wisps of translucent material that hung like a wedding veil over the whole thing, raised by four elegantly carved, wooden posts into a shroud-like canopy.

With an effort, Zuko closed his mouth and swallowed. His chest felt tight. This was all his. Almost as though it were new, the realization hit him again that he was Fire Lord now. The dream he had pursued all his life, reached for as a plant reaches for the sun, was reality. He felt light and dizzy with the wave of euphoria that swept over him. This was perfect. Everything was perfect…

Almost.

There was one more thing he wanted. Reluctantly retreating from the dreamlike room, he walked quickly back down the stairs leading up to the royal chambers, searching the hallways nearby until he found a servant standing idly against a wall, having been unlucky enough to draw the night shift for tending these corridors.

"Excuse me," Zuko called out, momentarily forgetting palace etiquette in his eagerness.

The man jumped and spun around at the sound of his voice. Blood drained from his face in a rush, leaving his sunburned complexion as close to white as it could go.

"Fire Lord Zuko," he gasped. "I'm so sorry – I didn't hear you sooner."

Zuko's brow twitched in puzzlement – he had only spoken once – before realization hit him. He mentally smacked himself for his stupid mistake.

"No no," he quickly reassured the servant, "I only called once… I just, um, said 'excuse me' out of habit…" if the man's face looked any more incredulous, his expression might never change back. Zuko quickly cut off his rambling explanation and cleared his throat. "I'd like you to get Mai from her rooms, please."

The servant seemed to recover himself at the order. "Ah…yes, of course. Your fiancé, Fire Lord Zuko? Will you see her in one of the guest rooms?"

Zuko almost laughed at the thought of summoning Mai to a guest room. She would skin him alive. "No, in the sanctuary."

The servant hesitated. "Fire Lord Zuko, perhaps in one of your…other bedrooms? No one is permitted into your chambers except…well, you."

"She's permitted now," Zuko replied, unable to keep a hint of irritation out of his voice. "Go get her. And hurry."

The man bowed low at the waist reluctantly and left to carry out his orders. Zuko sighed and shook his head in frustration, and headed back up to his room.

* * *

He stood by the bed, absently tracing the carvings on a bedpost with his fingers as he stared through the veils at the untouched sheets. His thoughts wandered, looking vaguely inward without seeing. His other hand unconsciously rose to touch his chest, where Azula's lightning had struck him. Thick bandages wrapped around his torso, protecting the scorched flesh while it healed. He could still feel it burning, little trails of fire following where his fingers touched.

Phantom pain flashed through his memory – shattering, white-hot agony that had seared through his body when the lightning hit.

That pain would fade, but the wound wouldn't. When it healed, the scar would be a symbol, forever reminding him of the Agni Kai which had earned him the throne, and the journey that had led him there. Zuko's hand left the burn on his chest and rose to touch his other scar, a much older and much more profound one. He felt along his father's mark, tracing the hardened flesh that extended from his hairline to the end of his left cheekbone. Perhaps it was just as well that Katara had not healed him back in Ba Sing Se; some things, he thought he should remember.

He heard and door open quietly and close behind her. He didn't hear her crossing the distance between them, but a moment later familiar arms wrapped around his torso, her long, graceful fingers intertwining over his chest, carefully avoiding the lightning burn. Her absence, tight and knotted in his chest, seemed to untangle itself and dissolve into nothingness; he hadn't even realized it was there, until it was gone.

Zuko turned in her arms to face her. Mai was looking up at him, a hint of concern on her smooth features. He smiled reassuringly, peacefully, and she smiled back. He cupped her face gently in his hands, brushing his thumbs affectionately across her high cheekbones.

"Hello," he said softly.

Mai did not pull away. Zuko treasured the moment, the intimacy of contact that they could never have had so casually before. Even in his brief time of false glory and honor upon returning to the Fire Nation as Crown Prince, despite the very real happiness he'd had with her, deeper conflicts had gotten in the way. Now, though, there was nothing left to fight. Only the bliss of being in her presence remained.

"Hi," Mai replied, a small, teasing smile hovering over her lips. "It's not like you to send me off to bed, then drag me back out. So what does the Fire Lord Zuko want?" There was more than a hint of mocking in the way she said the title, Zuko thought wryly. The most powerful men in the Fire Nation might jump when he said 'frog,' but Mai would never stop deflating his ego when it pleased her.

"I want you, of course." He pulled her into his arms, ignoring the way she squirmed away from his chest, trying to avoid his wounds. The dull flare of pain was nothing compared to the comfort of holding her. "I _am_ the Fire Lord now, and these rooms are beautiful. But they're just big and empty without you." The words were strange on his tongue; that was far too cheesy for him, Zuko thought.

But it was worth being a little cheesy to see the delight that flashed across Mai's eyes. She pretended to consider the notion doubtfully. "Well…I suppose you'd be lonely without me."

"Oh yes," Zuko agreed solemnly, playing along. "Very much so." He squeezed her affectionately. "Stay with me tonight, please."

She graced him with a small smile. "Of course I will."

Zuko fought the urge to grin like an idiot. He felt altogether too giddy at the notion of inviting her to his room for the night.

Mai started to pull away. "Well then, I should go get my things…"

Zuko didn't let her go. "No, stay. I'm sure the bathroom is stocked with everything you need…I don't want to let go of you again tonight."

Mai affected a look of mock concern. "But Zuko, I have nothing to wear to bed."

He felt a slow smile spreading across his lips in spite of himself. He loved Mai's wit, sharp as it was sometimes. And he loved that she didn't hesitate to drop his title without permission. "Then wear nothing to bed."

Mai laughed quietly. It was so rare, to hear her laugh. Zuko immediately stored the sound away in his memory. "That could work."

Zuko kissed her softly, lingering, tasting her on his lips as her scent taunted him. He kissed her the way he had always wanted to – as a free man, untroubled by guilt, released from the torments of shame and disgrace. Confident, knowing he had chosen the right path and believed in what he did.

She responded easily, her hands resting on his shoulders with a sense of wonder and awe, innocent and so very different from before, when they had clung to each other with the shadow of desperate lovers whose time together might end at any instant. Now they had all the time in the world.

"You know," Mai murmured between kisses, "you've been so busy recently, what with being the ruler of the nation and all...you really haven't seen me much, have you? I think you owe me."

"Mmm," Zuko agreed, nipping softly at her lower lip before pulling away to smile indulgently at her, "I think I do, too."

The tension and adrenaline that had kept him going since he joined Aang and his friends drained away, and weariness rushed in to fill the void. Holding Mai in his arms, her familiar scent surrounding him in the hush of his private chambers, Zuko suddenly wanted nothing more than to lie down on his big new bed with her and sleep for a week. No, a month.

He sighed dramatically and slumped, letting his head rest on Mai's shoulder. She rolled her eyes at his brief indulgence of childishness and pushed him back up with surprising ease. Zuko was reminded again, pleasantly, that she was far stronger than she appeared at first glance.

"Come on, Fire Lord," Mai sighed, leading him by the hand. "Let's test out your new bed."

Zuko's mind immediately jumped, taking the far less literal interpretation of her words. His blood seemed to run a little faster. Perhaps he wasn't all _that _tired…

Mai looked back at him, as though hearing his thoughts. "Don't even. Lie down now; you need some serious rest."

"I need you more." The words leapt from him, seemingly of their own accord. Mai stopped, her eyes widening slightly before she remembered herself. Zuko's control wasn't nearly so well-honed; his eyebrows climbed halfway to his hairline in amazement at the ridiculously uncharacteristic, romantic sentence.

An awkward moment of silence passed. Then –

"Well," Mai said finally, "that was…sweet." She pronounced the word slowly, as though it tasted foreign on her tongue. "But the bags under your eyes tell me you need sleep, too, even if you won't admit it. And I'm not going anywhere. Come on."

Flushing with embarrassment, Zuko let her pull him to the bed. She pushed aside the fine veil of curtains without so much as a glance, and Zuko realized with a start that she had not paid much attention to the room at all. Only him. That wasn't very Mai-like...or, he thought, perhaps she had never cared as much about fineries as she led him to believe.

He felt a sobering pang of gratitude to her for the depth of her feelings for him. At the same time, it was somewhat exasperating to think that her past fascination with the luxuries of his royal status might have been slightly exaggerated for his ego's sake.

She pushed him back onto the bed and Zuko went willingly, sinking into the marvelously soft mattress with an involuntary sigh of relief. His hair, still too long and hanging raggedly around his face and neck – the royal hairdressers had been much dismayed that there was no time to address his crisis, yet – fell back from his field of vision, and he smiled and held a hand out to Mai.

However dismissively she had acted towards his chambers, she still hesitated for just a brief instant before climbing into the Fire Lord's bed. Once there, though, she flung herself out next to him and yawned, as instinctive to the art of worthless sloth and relaxation as the most pampered princess. Zuko snickered lightly, and quickly smoothed his face when she scowled at him.

Mimicking her, he stretched himself out on the bed and closed his eyes lazily. A few minutes of content silence passed. Then…

Zuko frowned, his nose wrinkling in distaste. What was that… smell? It seemed to be everywhere, but when he turned his head to seek out the source it seemed to slip around the corner of recognition and fade away. It was oddly familiar...he thought of his many days and nights without rest, sweating into his bloodstained bandages without the chance to -

"You stink," Mai said calmly.

Zuko blinked, then scowled as his face seemed to burst into flame. "Dammit!" He swore and jumped out of bed. "I do! Ugh, I knew I forgot something. I'm so sorry Mai. I'll go take a bath."

Mai sat up, as unruffled as ever, though her lips did seem to twitch slightly. Or maybe that was Zuko's mortification playing tricks on him.

"Zuko, I hope you're not enough of an idiot to think I'm not used to your smell by now. Three years of banishment didn't exactly make you smell like lotus flowers when you came back to the Fire Nation after Ba Sing Se, and this is positively fragrant, in comparison." Her lips _definitely _twitched. "But yes, please, take a bath. Just stop acting like it's such a big deal."

Zuko threw his hands up in frustration and stormed off instead of replying. It was just like Mai to soothe his wounded pride by telling him he had smelled _worse _before. Girls and their flawless logic, he thought sourly.

He found the bathroom behind the fourth folding screen he tried, after a study, a dining room, and a library, while Mai perched on the bed amusedly and watched the spectacle of the Fire Lord rummaging through his own rooms to find the bathtub. He darted inside with a rush of relief and slid the screen closed behind him.

The bathroom matched the splendor of the bedroom, and Zuko might have appreciated it much more if he hadn't still been red as a tomato from embarrassment. Smooth, rare mountain marble laced with pink and silver made up the floor, extending flawlessly to form the walls and ceiling. The sink, tables and bathtub – as disproportionally large as the bed had been – were all marble inlaid with gold. The whole array was lit with a heavenly glow from lava-crystal lamps set around the room. It was luxury upon luxury, but all Zuko could think of at that moment was getting the stink of his days off of him.

He did, however, stop to marvel at the contraption that had been set up next to the bathtub at the far end of the room.

At first glance it looked as though the heart of a mountain had been carved out and set up in his bathroom, a rainbow of different – and no doubt expensive – stones which climbed and grew up the walls as though alive. From the very top, from some crevice Zuko could not see, a small stream of hot water splashed and tumbled in a continuous flow down over the rocks in a miniature waterfall, somehow cleverly twisting to end up in a perfect sheet of liquid shimmers that fell over the edge of one large, flat extension. Below the outcropping was a seemingly-natural space, almost a cave, which was the perfect size for a tall man to stand in under the stream. The entire cave, rather than being hidden in shadow, was lit from the inside with a thousand reflections of light off the marble and water. Around this arrangement was a shallow pond set in the floor, its bottom a mosaic of small stones and gems. Somewhere under the whole thing, water drained out, keeping the pond from overflowing.

Zuko shook his head in wonder. His uncle would rant and obsess over an ingenious invention like this for days.

Forgoing the idea of a traditional bath, he quickly stripped out of his clothes and dumped them in an unceremonious pile on an empty table. Next, he gingerly peeled off the stained, slightly-soaked bandages around his arms and torso, deciding to dump them into the trash basket instead of saving them for further use. Fully naked, he stretched carefully, the tugging, pulling pain of his fresh wounds drowned out by the overwhelming relief of being able to work his muscles freely again.

Zuko stepped into the pond cautiously. The water temperature was just warm, not quite hot enough for a bath. Looking deeper into the little cave he saw that there were two smooth knobs of some darker stone in the very back, carved with familiar symbols. Both symbols were triggers for fire-bending. Experimentally, Zuko breathed out and thrust one hand, his fingers stiffened into a crane strike, out toward the first trigger. A small stream of flame erupted and struck the stone, disappearing into it like oil soaking into a cloth. Instantly, the water temperature rose several degrees. Now it was just hot enough to emit a small amount of fog. Perfect.

Zuko took another breath and repeated the small jet of fire, this time towards the other trigger. This one released a stronger stream of water, so that it became a torrent, no longer a mild river but a waterfall cascading down over him. The water pounded on his wounds, stinging the burns on his chest and arms, but it was bliss.

He exhaled slowly and leaned back, groping for the edge of rock. The marble was surprisingly smooth against his skin; upon closer inspection Zuko realized that every surface was smooth enough to lay on. The deceptively ragged, realistic look of the stone had been another clever illusion, a combination of light manipulation and fine grains of fragmented quartz hidden within the expertly-carved rock.

Leaning against the smooth walls, cocooned between the slick coolness of marble and the soothing heat of water, Zuko let himself ease into a semi-asleep state, his eyelids slowly drifting closed…

The snap of a sliding screen and the feel of another presence entering the room made him open his eyes again, fully alert. Mai stood across the room, closing the screen behind her and eyeing him with a considering look. She stood there and said nothing, simply folded her arms.

For some reason, Zuko felt guilty. He was more than annoyed at how easily she could make him feel guilty, even when he had done nothing. She and his uncle had that in common.

"Mai, uh…" for some reason, he had the urge to retreat into the cave and cover himself. "I'll be out soon. Is something wrong?"

Mai lifted an eyebrow coolly. "No, of course not. Although," she said crisply, unfolding her arms and walking across the marble towards him, "you have a…personal waterfall. And you didn't invite me?"

Utterly bewildered, Zuko could only stare at her for a moment. Mai stared back at him evenly, as though scolding her naked, Fire Lord boyfriend in his bathroom were perfectly normal. For her, apparently, it was.

"But," Zuko ran a hand through his hair in frustration, raising the wet strands into spiky clumps. "Why would you want - I mean - You said I stink."

"Well, that's why you're washing," Mai replied smoothly, her face not changing a twitch.

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose between his knuckles and prayed for patience. "Mai, be reasonable. I wanted to sleep with you tonight and you know that damn well. You can't expect me to respect your space, and at the same time invite you to wash with me."

"Of course I can," Mai scoffed lightly, stopping just a step away from the edge of the pool. "You're the Fire Lord, Zuko. You can do anything." Her voice dropped just slightly on the last word, a hint of something darker and more sensual than her usual coolness seeping through.

Zuko felt a phantom shiver pass through him, an involuntary reaction to her suggestive words. He walked to the edge of the pond and touched her cheek lightly with his fingers.

"Mai, would you like to join me in my private waterfall?" He couldn't quite keep a small twinkle of laughter out of his voice.

"I would be delighted, Fire Lord Zuko," Mai replied easily, her eyes nothing but innocent - you would have thought it was all his idea, Zuko thought dryly - and bowed mockingly. She untied the belt of cloth at her waist as she straightened, tossing it behind her to the floor as he had with his clothes. Another rush of anticipation, stronger this time, quickened Zuko's breath.

She shrugged out of her clothes easily, expertly, never looking at him as she seemed to focus the whole of her attention on undressing. But the way she moved, the tenseness of her shoulders and the darkness of her pupils, told Zuko that she was more than aware of his eyes on her.

When the last fold of cloth that clung to her fell away, Zuko's gaze followed it down, admiring the caress of silky highlights along every curve and sweep of her slender form. Her pale skin caught the illumination like a softer marble, retaining it and releasing it again as a golden glow where the light struck her just right.

She set her clothes off to the side and stood, as calm completely nude before him as she was fully clothed. She came to him, and the smooth glide of her feet through the water whispered and rippled through the pond, reaching him before she did.

She touched her fingertips to his chest, feeling the raw, exposed skin of his burn mark. "This is going to scar."

"Yes," Zuko replied quietly, his hand twitching with the reflex to reach up, to touch the scar on his face. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all. It will be a good reminder…" she seemed to consider for a moment. "…Of how you kicked Azula's ass."

Zuko couldn't help but smile. Even this, she could make better. Without his saying anything, Mai had understood the importance of this memoir to him.

"Are you ok to wash, like this?"

He shrugged. "This is nothing. I barely feel it. When I got run over by a wheelbarrow in the streets, when we were kids… that hurt worse than this." Wonderful, he was _reminiscing _now. The woman was horrible for his masculinity. But the eager tension in his groin begged to differ...

Mai smiled. "Liar." Still, he could see that she was reassured. She had often said in the past that if he was well enough to act macho, he wasn't hurt badly enough. She generously refrained from saying so now.

Zuko pulled her close and bent his head to hers, catching her lips in a gentle kiss. He pulled her back towards the water, and she let out a soft hum of delight as the stream flowed over her shoulders and enveloped her.

Mai tilted her head up to the water, and her now-wet hair fell over her back in an ebony sheen. She let go of him to stroke her arms and run her fingers through her hair, marveling at the warmth.

"This is amazing," she exclaimed, closing her eyes with a sigh of contentment. "Can you make it any hotter?"

Zuko realized the water had cooled slightly back to a moderate warmth. He made a slicing motion with his hand towards the trigger in the back, sending an arch of flame spiraling into the stone. He made it stronger than his first experimental flame. Stream rose around them as the water heated.

Mai moaned softly.

The sound, innocent as it was, sent tremors through Zuko's body. Memories flashed through his mind; her skin against his, her arms holding him in the urgency of pleasure, that moan muffled against his neck as he moved against her…

Weariness forgotten, he went to her and wrapped his fingers around her upper arms gently, pulling her back to him for another kiss. He made it linger, deepening the angle until her lips parted to allow him entry. Her hands tried to reach for him, but he held her arms firmly, though his grip remained gentle. She didn't resist, but relaxed into him, returning his kiss without reservation.

Surrounded by the melody of water, the glow of light on marble, and the warmth and privacy of the steam, Zuko was acutely aware of their closeness. For some inexplicable reason he found himself unable to control a sudden onslaught of emotion, the need to hold her and never let go again. She had always been the one steadying point in his life, the one thing anchoring to him to a world through which he had fought long and bitter trials. Now, at the end, there was something profoundly comforting about having her in his arms in this moment, in his triumph as the new Fire Lord.

"Mai," he breathed against her lips, breaking the kiss and leaning his forehead against hers with a sense of almost painful vulnerability, "I need you."

"I need you too."

Zuko eyes flew open in shock. Mai's eyes were squeezed close, her brows furrowed in a pained expression. For just a moment it was startlingly clear how much she was struggling to rein herself in, to not betray the depth of her feelings for him with emotion, whether they both knew it or not.

"I…" the words caught in her throat for just an instant, but before she could form them again, Zuko kissed her, harder this time. He would not allow her to say it. Not yet. He felt her pulse quicken against his palms, felt her trying to pull away to speak.

Zuko pushed forward gently, guiding them out of the direct range of the waterfall, until Mai's back hit the wall of marble. He pressed her carefully against the hard surface, using the leverage to deepen the kiss until their lungs burned for air and she made a muffled sound of protest against his lips.

He pulled away then, but before she could catch her breath, he moved down, his lips trailing over the curve of her neck. He stopped just above the tilt of her collarbone, teasing the skin there with a soft bite before moving back up to draw the sensitive lobe of her ear between his teeth.

Mai caught her breath sharply and twisted in his grasp, goosebumps breaking out on her arms despite the heat of the water surrounding them. Zuko tightened his grip and leaned forward, pinning her between his body and the wall. He felt her arousal in the stiffness of her nipples against his chest, a sharp contrast with the soft shapes of her breasts, and the unmistakable warm wetness that had nothing to do with water and everything to do with her when he pressed his knee between her thighs.

Mai hissed softly in her throat and yanked herself out of his grasp roughly. Her hand came up to his jaw and jerked his head to the side with amazing strength, controlling and pulling him down so she could bring her mouth to his neck.

Zuko closed his eyes and shuddered as she sucked on his skin, her tongue flickering over the surface, tantalizing the nerves underneath with its rough texture. Pleasurable as they were, he only tolerated her ministrations for a brief moment. He wanted her lips on him…but he wanted to be inside her more.

As though reading his thoughts, Mai nipped at his shoulder hard enough to send a tiny spike of pain through the hum of pleasure. She reached down, her fingers briefly touching the hardness of his arousal between them; if she held him, any hope of regaining control would be lost.

Zuko pushed her hand away and in a flash had her pressed back against the wall. He gripped her thighs and, bracing himself with a knee against the stone, lifted her along the smooth surface until he held her suspended above him, looking down at him with fire in her eyes.

Mai put her hands on his shoulders, forced to forgo her bid for dominance to steady herself. He tilted her hips toward him until he felt her warmth pressed against the sensitive head of his erection. He breathed out, forcing the internal heat of his desire down to a tolerable temperature to avoid hurting her.

Mai bit back a cry as she felt him push forward, working himself into her, the intrusion slow and difficult. Water was, without a doubt, _not_ a lubricant. Her fingers dug into the muscles of his shoulders, but she held his gaze, watching with a dim sense of fascination the absolute focus that tightened his jaw and the reverence that lit his golden eyes when he looked at her.

Suddenly he reached that point deep inside her that made her tighten involuntarily and squirm away from him, only to be stopped by the wall against her back.

"Zuko," she gasped, straining to take her weight off of him against the leverage of gravity, "deep…" It was as coherent a sentence as she could form, but he understood.

"Shh." His brows tightened in concentration as he adjusted her hips slightly, forcing her off-balance again. He pressed a little deeper inside her and kissed her shoulder softly when she cried out. "It's alright, almost there."

Mai simply nodded, her eyes closed as she struggled to breathe past the waves of sensation crashing through her. The marble was hard and cool against her back, Zuko's muscles hard against her breasts. His skin flickered and burned against hers as his body temperature competed with that of the water. Where splashes of water hit him, steam seemed to rise, a veil of heat that surrounded them and enveloped them in their own world. Mai could no longer tell if the steam was from him, or the water, or both. She could hardly draw a breath past the heat; she didn't want to.

Want to or not, she could not stop a small sound of protest from escaping her throat when he tried to press forward again. As though of its own accord, her body twisted and turned, almost pulling out of his grip.

Zuko exhaled sharply, tightening his self-control a notch further and forcing himself to retreat again. He pulled away from her completely, feeling a jolt of satisfaction when she moaned softly at the loss, and set her back down on the floor.

Mai swayed for a moment, disorientated by the sudden change. Zuko turned her around gently, but firmly, pinning her against the marble when she tried to turn back to face him. He took her wrists in one hand, holding them against the wall. Bracing himself with a forearm, he took a small step back and hooked his other arm around her waist, angling her hips toward him.

Mai bit her lip hard enough to hurt, muffling her moans as he slid back into her. This time, when he hit the depth that was almost too far, beginning to push the limits of her body, the new angle pressed him against that single perfect spot inside her to send a blinding jolt of pleasure straight to her brain.

Mai cried out and arched her back involuntarily, pushing herself tighter against him. Zuko responded quickly, taking advantage of her distraction to push forward, stretching her body with each short thrust until he could rest completely inside her. When the first wave of pleasure faded, it was replaced by the fullness of his weight. Their bodies pressed tightly together. Phantom steam rolled from them in waves with the fluctuations of Zuko's body heat, but neither of them noticed.

Zuko began to move with deliberate slowness, pausing at the depth of each thrust to let her adjust before pulling back again. Each slow draw of his skin against hers felt good, so good, but it wasn't enough. Mai wanted to feel him, wanted to feel his desire for her, more than she wanted his restraint.

"Zuko," she moaned, her eyes squeezed shut in concentration as she tried to form the words, "harder."

His voice was tight to the point of cracking with control. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't, it doesn't even hurt a bit right now." That was a gray shade of truth; there was a dim ache, the familiar discomfort of intrusion, but she was more than accustomed to it. It barely registered on her fragmented thoughts. "Please," she gasped, trying to grind her hips back against him.

Zuko muttered something – it sounded like a curse – and leaned forward to press a kiss between her shoulder blades, pausing for a moment as though gathering his restraint from the edge of collapse.

"You don't know what you do to me," he breathed against her skin.

Suddenly he let go of her hands and stood upright, letting her brace herself against the marble as he took hold of her hips firmly and thrust into her, harder than before. It drove the air from her lungs in a rush, but before she could take another, he had pulled back and slammed back in, harder still.

Mai's legs tried to collapse as wave after wave of white-hot rapture seared through her senses. Zuko's hands on her hips kept her upright, and she leaned her forearms against the marble to brace herself. Her lungs burned for air, and she heard her own ragged screams echoing and dissolving in the heat around them. Pleasure burned inside her, twisting and tightening with every thrust, rushing her at an alarming pace toward a radiant, ever-approaching pinnacle.

"Zuko," she cried out, unsure herself what she was pleading for.

"Let go," he replied, and his breathing was as harsh and broken as hers as he moved against her, "believe me, I'm ready. Let go, Mai."

She stopped struggling against the torrent and let it carry her, let the pleasure build until the tension broke and the world went white as he pushed her over the edge into ecstasy.

Zuko leaned over to kiss the junction of her neck and shoulders softly, breathlessly, pulling her tightly against him with an odd tenderness that contrasted with the violence of his movements. Over the crashing of the waterfall around them, the thundering pulse of physical release and the sound of her own voice, she heard him groan against her skin and felt him falling over the edge with her, his body a living fire surrounding her.

Water cascaded down steadily, twisting and gliding its way over the smooth stone to cast its warm mist over them. The stream was weaker now, and had cooled again. But around them, where sprays of water hit Zuko's skin, moisture gathered and preserved the heat of their embrace.

Moments passed in silence, except for their heavy breathing, but she had no sense of time. If not for Zuko's weight against her back pinning her to the wall, and his arm around her waist holding her up, Mai was sure she would have collapsed the moment he stopped moving. Right then, she didn't particularly care if she ever stood again.

Zuko finally took a deep breath and straightened, wincing a little as the movement pulled the freshly-raw burn wound on his chest. Mai didn't move, simply stood there with her forehead against the wall, her eyes closed as though she were dozing.

"Come on," Zuko said reluctantly. "We're going to get all pruny in here, if we haven't already…" he leaned forward and kissed the back of her neck tenderly. "Let me help you."

Mai shot him a scathing look over her shoulder, but it was a half-hearted indignance, the effect ruined by the euphoric glaze of afterglow in her eyes. Her pale skin was flushed with pleasure, her pupils unfocused and as dark as midnight. Zuko felt a very male thrill of pride as he surveyed the results of his…performance.

She didn't protest when he took her in his arms, easily lifting her bridal-style out of the pond and to the door. Zuko pushed the sliding screen aside with his foot and carried Mai back into the bedroom, brushing aside the veils surrounding his bed to lay her on the mattress gently. She purred deep in her throat and rolled over, wiggling deeper into the silk. As adorable as she was, that wouldn't do; his attendants would scold him into insanity if she soaked his bed through.

Zuko mentally kicked himself for his carelessness and darted back into the bathroom to get towels for the both of them. He found a stack of huge, fluffy white towels in a basket and spread them out over the bed. Mai flopped over carelessly onto the makeshift sheets, graciously allowing him to pull away the layer of silk covers now stained with a wet print of her body.

"Why thank you," he murmured teasingly as he dumped the ruined sheets off to the side, "I've always wanted to sleep in a wet bed."

Mai stared at him with such an insulted, _female_ expression that Zuko immediately held up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "With you, of course. I'd sleep in any bed, with you." No hint of sarcasm, this time.

"I have full rights to abuse your bed," Mai explained with her characteristic dryness, "after what you just did to me. Now stop flaunting your walking abilities and come over here so I can feel better about myself."

Zuko rolled his eyes. Mai was too tired to harm him physically right then, but her tongue seemed sharp enough, and as ready to prick him as ever. Perhaps he should try for unconsciousness next time...it was an amusing thought, but imagining the repercussions when she awoke quickly put Zuko off the idea.

He went to her and they lay together on the bed, relaxed in the embrace of silk, warmth, and each others' presence.

Slowly, Mai's eyelids fluttered closed. When he knew she was almost asleep, Zuko touched her cheek tenderly and whispered in her ear.

"I love you."

She heard – her eyes flickered for a moment as she tried to shake off the touch of slumber, to reply – but then she was asleep.

Zuko smiled, content, and held her close to him. In the quiet sanctuary of the Fire Lord's chambers, with Mai by his side, he drifted away into pleasant dreams.

* * *

**End**


End file.
